


Mind Over Matter

by ZaneShadow



Category: Divergent - All Media Types, Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Book Appearances, Canonical Character Death, Character is Oblivious to their own Feelings, Clairvoyance, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Morally Ambiguous Character, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Not Canon Compliant, POV Alternating, POV First Person, Psychic Abilities, Rape/Non-con is not between Eric and Four, Telepathy, bookverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-08-15 16:49:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8064292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaneShadow/pseuds/ZaneShadow
Summary: Eric was smart; he had been Erudite, it was to be expected. However, sometimes, it felt like he was too smart, as though he could read your very mind.





	1. ERIC POV

**Author's Note:**

> I'm screaming, I accidentally posted this before I meant to.
> 
> Anyway, I've been playing around with this idea for a long time. An embarrasing long time. Like, we're talking years. Mostly I thought of this because 1) I read the Divergent series and thought Eric was Divergent and 2) I hated how Veronica handled Eric in insurgent. Ugh.
> 
> Let me know if there's anything wrong spelling/grammar wise because I posted this from mobile and I may have added in random letters because the phone I was using is a piece of junk.
> 
> Also, the characters will be going by their Book Appearances because I like how they look in the books better, to be quite honest. That means Eric has long, black hair and pale skin (although I don't recall if his skin colour is actually ever specified; at least not in the first book); Four has the incredibly dark blue eyes, Tris is actually blonde with blue eyes, Christina is ACTUALLY BLACK LIKE SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE, and so on. I will describe them so no worries.

The ability to not only read another's mind, but control it, was not something I anticipated ever being able to. As a matter of fact, this ability is quite possibly the most aggravating experience I have the displeasure to deal with. For the longest time, I managed to keep this power of mine only to my knowledge. Of course, you may assume that with an ability like mine, someone had to have noticed. To my absolutely incredible luck, Jeanine Matthews personally tested on me until I demonstrated to her the extent of my telepathy when I stopped the entire Erudite compound. Every single person was frozen in their movement.

Every person, not including the Divergent.

Jeanine put me to use, and I willingly help as I am now. She put me here, in Dauntless as a connection between the two factions. She is planning something of extraordinary intent, but she does not tell me much. I do not particularly mind; Divergent are dangerous and threaten the stability of the Faction system. They do not belong.

I am constantly being pushed to strengthen my telepathic abilities, in hopes that I may control Divergents. I have proven successful at breaching their minds, but at the expense of extreme cephalalgia, or rather, headaches. Many days, I awaken with Migraines. This is caused by my attempts to lengthen the stretch of telepathy's jurisdiction. Dauntless is bigger than Erudite, but not too much. Trying to expand across the combined number of people has not only given me headaches, but nosebleeds and even has caused me to faint. Thankfully, I am improving and more Divergent are being exposed. My reach has increased dramatically. If I tried hard enough, I could reach across Abnegation, Amity and Candor. I have before, with unfavorable results on my part. I woke up lying on a table but Jeanine seemed pleased. Although it irritates me to get hooked up and monitored, at least I know that I am helping.

There is someone whose status puzzles me. I went through Dauntless initiation with him. Sometimes I begin to think that he knows of my hidden talent but I am often proven wrong. Even though he is not Divergent, at least I do not believe he is, venturing into his mind is equivalent to walking into a wall. This wall sometimes crumbles, however and I can read him; the time I have reading him, however, is inherently useless. For a mere second, multiple seconds if I am lucky, I have a peak into his thoughts. This is unlike any Divergent I've come across. There is something special about Four. In the two years I have known him, I have not figured it out.

Today is the Choosing Ceremony, and it reminds me that my choice was not actually mine. I am almost bored at this meeting, listening to Max talk. I am a Dauntless leader, however, so I am required to be here. Everything being discussed, I have already heard from Jeannine herself. After a few more moments, I leave and head down to the Pit; the Pit, as you can guess, was indeed basically a giant hole inside of Dauntless. The Faction itself was just a sophisticated cave connected to a few buildings.

On my way down, I spot Four. He is walking pass the chasm where a few Dauntless are gathered, talking. He notices me and I smile. I'm positive that it comes off as wicked-looking. Sometimes, I cannot help it, it's almost fun to annoy him. He thinks that I am cruel, heartless and he will no doubtedly confide this to the new transfers. I match his stride and look up at him- he is a bit taller than me- and raise an eyebrow. "Are you excited for all of the new initiates?" I ask him because I am genuinely curious. He gives me a strange look for a moment.

"Just remember to behave yourself," he responds. I feign indignation.

"Me? Misbehave? Why, I'm a Dauntless leader." I observe his reaction of a strained eye-roll. "Maybe there'll be a Stiff this year, and you'll have a friend to get along with!" At this, he gives me a grave look, dark eyes(blue, interestingly enough) glaring at me.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" he demands. "Somewhere where you can exert your leadership power?" I put my hands together behind my back and clear my throat.

"Do you not enjoy my company, Four?" I ask him, only partially serious. His steps falter and I halt next to him. I am suddenly aware I have no idea where we were going. The confusion on his face is obvious.

"Anyway, I have important matters to attend to in the Pit," I say and begin to walk off. The bewildered expression on Four's face had not gone.

The important matters I needed to tend to included getting my left eyebrow pierced. Two new marvelous studs were now placed above and at the end of my eyebrow, and they added to my collection of piercings. Of this array, I have three bridge piercings, snake-bites, dahlia bites, and a tongue piercing; these are just the ones in direct correlation with my face. On my ears, I have a few others, pretty basic.

I wonder where Four went off to. He had to greet the initiates, didn't he? "Eric!" I glance over my shoulder to see Max. I resist rolling my eyes. "Have you seen Four? I want to speak with him," he tells me.

"I'll tell him when I see him," I respond, and I go to leave. Max wanted Four to take the leadership position. My position. Four had placed first during initiation, and I had placed second. I was second to Four. At this thought, I unintentionally let a scowl slip onto my face. As I walk through the Pit, people do their best to avoid me. I run up a narrow pathway and out of the Pit.

Jeanine wanted to meet with me to test me with something. So, I was headed to Dauntless HQ to see her.

"On time, as usual," Jeanine greets me as I walk in. The smile on her face is artificial, as usual. "The latest development in the studying of your ability has led us to act on a different idea." She gestures towards a chair. It is the most unappealing seat I have ever seen. The chair is metal, attached to many wires and it reminds me of the chairs used for simulations. I sit down.

"Are you going to test a serum on me?" I question. There are other Erudite in the room, and one of them begins to tap on a screen by the chair. Across the room are a row of subdued people from various factions. Another Erudite picks up a needle and injects whatever is in it, into the side of my neck. My mouth twists into a scowl. "Jeanine, what is this?"

"This is a test," she tells me simply. The same Erudite who had injected me, injects the row of people standing across the room. "Read their minds." I freeze in my chair; their thoughts are filling my mind... No, not just their thoughts, but the very essence of their humanity.

Kneel, I think. They all simultaneously fall to their knees. A grin spreads across my lips. How very interesting. You are not human, you don't need to breathe. All of the subjects cease their breathing. I suck the corner of my lip into my mouth, tasting the metal. Die, I think and they all slump to the ground; I no longer feel their minds. A harsh burn spreads through my body and I gasp. As soon as it happened, it is gone.

"Now, Eric, we can't have you killing our test subjects," Jeanine chastises me, but she seems oddly pleased. It's almost as if she knew I would do that; of course she did.

"You gave me a serum to heighten my abilities," I say slowly. Jeanine nods.

"That is correct. However, we are not finished completely developing this serum. We must conduct several more tests; it is my intention for you to exert your control over the Divergent," explains Jeanine. "We also need to make the serum permanent, you being the only one who can end its effects. This will be most helpful in the future to come." I am curious as to what "is to come," but I have learned from past experience that she will not tell me.

"Will this be all?" I am ready to leave. Jeanine is looking down at her tablet as she answers.

"No; I want to run more scans of your brain. I need a recording of your brain activity while you're in control of someone's mind." Jeanine nods at one of her assistants. "But first, I'd like to give you the Aptitude test."

"You believe me to be Divergent," I accuse. "You believe my possibly being Divergent has something to do with my telepathic abilities."

"You truly are an Erudite in Dauntless clothing," replies Jeannine. I resist the urge to flinch when the Erudite assistant presses a syringe into my neck. Jeannine is beginning to get on my nerves. I direct a particularly morbid scene of her dying to everyone in the room as I close my eyes.

I walk into the cafeteria and everyone goes quiet. The meeting with Jeannine had adequately spoiled any good mood I had in me until I spot Four. Immediately, my feet take me over to his table and I sit down right next to him. I look at the two initiates next to him. I look at Four again. He is tense. "Well, aren't you going to introduce me?" I raise my eyebrow and mentally wince. It's still sore from earlier.

"This is Tris and Christina," Four says.

"Ooh, a Stiff!" I smirk, actually looking at the initiates. The blonde one is giving me a strange look. She is Abnegation, so I suppose it's quite strange for her to see all of these rings and studs in my face. "We'll see how long you last." Tris looks very uncomfortable under my gaze. Good.

Bored, I turn my attention back to Four. I am reminded that Max wished to speak with him. I drum my fingers against the table in an attempt to provide a casual atmosphere. "What have you been doing lately, Four?" I ask.

He lifts one shoulder. "Nothing, really," he says. He looks at me for a moment. He knows I am trying to be nonchalant. The Stiff is studying our exchange with a calculating gaze.

"Max tells me he's been trying to meet with you, and you don't show up." I begin, "He requested that I see what's going on with you." I let exasperation show in my tone.

"Tell him that I am satisfied with my current position," Four says.

"So he wants to give you a job," I say.

"So it would seem."

"And you aren't interested?" Four gives me an exasperated look, but his voice is calm.

"I haven't been interested in 2 years," he replies. That's good enough for me. I stand and clap him on the shoulder.

"Well, let's hope he gets a clue." I can tell that Four is tired of my presence. Well, I am tired of being here. I walk away.


	2. FOUR POV

I can tell as soon as Eric walks into the cafeteria that his mood has soured compared to earlier today; the cafeteria going quieter was indication I was not the only one who noticed. He adorned two new studs above his left eyebrow, both of them gleaming in any light they could catch. His mouth is pulled into a thin line as his eyes scan the cafeteria. He is looking for something or someone. When his eyes land on me, and immediately brighten –although not particularly noticeable unless you know him- I know he’d been searching for me.

As he makes his way towards me, I see his eyes flicker briefly to Tris and then back to me, and I tense. He sits down beside me, his elbow on the table, and his chin in his palm. Again, he looks to Tris and then at Christina before raising an eyebrow at me. “Well, aren’t you going to introduce me?” he asks, voice laced with faint amusement.

“This is Tris and Christina,” I say flatly. He smirks, looking at Tris.

“Ooh, a Stiff,” he practically purrs it, sounding incredibly too satisfied. His voice darkens a bit as he says, “We’ll see how long you last.” Fortunately, Tris does not respond and this disappoints Eric, as his attention turns back to me. For a moment, he says nothing before his hand that isn’t holding up his head begins to drum on the table. He attempts to make his posture seem even more relaxed than it is. I resist narrowing my eyes at his attempts at being nonchalant.

“What have you been doing lately, Four?” he asks. He doesn’t even bother to try and sound curious. I lift one shoulder in response.

“Nothing, really.”

"Max tells me he's been trying to meet with you, and you don't show up." Eric slides right into the point of his tries at casualness, "He requested that I see what's going on with you." He even sounds exasperated, as though he wants to roll his eyes and huff.

"Tell him that I am satisfied with my current position.” And, I am. Dauntless wants a puppet; I refuse to be that.

"So he wants to give you a job," Eric responds flatly.

"So it would seem."

"And you aren't interested?”

Eric is quite insecure about his position and I need him to stop bothering me about it. “I haven’t been interested in two years,” I say pointedly. He seems to get something else from my response as he stares intensely at me for a few seconds. His mood shifts and he stands, clapping me on the shoulder.

“Well, let’s hope he gets a clue.” His words are partly bitter, his lips pursed slightly. He doesn’t realize he begins to pout when he’s irritated. I have somehow irritated him, although I have no idea how when he’s been doing practically all of the talking. He walks away, exiting the cafeteria. Some of the tension in the room dissipates. It won't last, however. It never lasts.

 

"Have you seen Eric?" Travis asks me suddenly. I look up from the computer screen to give him a blank stare. Travis was a rather annoying boy with an even more obnoxious obsession with everything Eric did. His unevenly tanned skin was covered head-to-toe in tattoos, and he seemed unable to wear shirts with sleeves.

"Why would I have seen Eric?" The words leave my mouth slowly. I feel as though I might have been talking to a child. I don't know why everyone believes Eric and I are friends or something of the sort. Travis frowns and leans a bit closer to me, scooting his chair as well. I sigh. I guess I wasn't getting back to work anytime soon.

"Thing is," Travis begins. "You 'n' him are always 'round each other; so was wondering if you noticed his new piercings?" I squint my eyes at him, trying to figure out if he's seriously asking me about Eric's new piercings. For a brief moment, I let my mind wander to the cafeteria. Eric had indeed been sporting new pieces.

"Why?" I ask tiredly, fully facing him now. Travis seems confused at the question, as his eyebrows furrow together and he frowns. "Why do you want to know these things Travis. Just tell him you like him and stop bothering me." Immediately, Travis recoils, moving away from where I sit. The screech of his chair was loud and abrasive, and a few people in the room peek over their computers to look. Sometimes, I really wish to smack this boy.

"What?" Travis, again, appears legitimately confused at my words. Now, I wanted to take back what I said; he's far too stupid for Eric. "Never mind," I say as blandly as I can muster before rising to my feet and heading toward the open doors. Travis continues to sit in confused silence, and I am perfectly fine with that. Once out in the hall, I roll my eyes as hard as possible. How _Eric_ of all people could have someone interested in him to this extent is beyond me. A chill crawls up my arms and I look over my shoulder to see Eric glaring rather pointedly at me. His head cocks to the side but he does nothing to hide that he'd been blatantly staring at me. Of course he doesn't; he's Dauntless after all.

"Do you need something?" I question, already tired with the conversation. Eric smirks momentarily but it soon vanishes as he marches up to me. He gets extremely close to me, emphasizing the inches I have on him, as he tilts his head back to properly look me in the eye. A very...peculiar feeling settles over me, and Eric's gaze almost feels like he's looking for something.

"You are for sure an odd one," he suddenly comments. His face is expressionless... But I could swear there was  _fondness_ in his tone. He punches me in the shoulder and then continues past me without a second glance with a dismissive wave of his hand.


End file.
